Muangthong United striker Teerasil Dangda is the latest star from the footballing 2nd world to be located on Atletico Madrid’s radar, as part of their international project.

Djanga will arrive in Madrid next week on a 2-week trial with Atleti.

With 24 goals in 29 games in last season’s Thai Premier League, Dangda was not only the league’s top scorer but also broke the record for highest goals tally in the history of the Thai Premier League (est. 1996).

His goals ensured Robbie Fowler’s former side were crowned Thai champions, and earned him the MVP award.

At 24, last season’s feat was no flash in the pan. Dangda’s been on the European radar for several seasons now, having been on an (unsuccessful) trial at Manchester City at 19 (which may or may not have had something to do with ol’ Thaksin Shinawatra!).

Dangda hasn’t yet been designated to either the first or second team; rather, he’ll train with both depending on his standard and the speed of his adaptation. Whether his stay in Spain is prolonged will naturally depend on his performance over the 2 weeks, but what’s clear is that this is a golden chance for a Thai player to break into Europe’s elite.

As can be seen on Dangda’s highlights from last season, he’s more than a simple finisher; he drops deep – as deep as his own half – and likes to build play from there, creating nearly as many chances as he scores.

He has a tremendous leap, a powerful header, and a box of tricks that’s simply too vast for the Thai league. More ‘todo terreno‘ than false 9.

The obvious question is though : will he cut in La Liga? Watch Dangda below and give your opinion in the comments thread.